Top 15 most sought after jobs in Qatar and emerging trends in the labour market

As Qatar prepares for FIFA World Cup 2022, there’s been a dramatic increase in the number of construction projects. According to the Qatar Statistics Authority, as of September 30, 2013, the population stands at 2,035,106.

This is 170,289 more than the recorded number on August 30, and 72, 082 more than the previous high that was recorded in May of this year. While a large percentage of the new residents are low-income workers, mainly in the construction sector, there is also a significant need for white-collar professionals

JustHere asked Bayt.com to share its insights on the emerging career opportunities in the country.

The Bayt.com Job Index Survey – August 2013 has shown that 37% of companies in Qatar will be ‘definitely hiring’ in the next 3 months, with 62% of companies expecting to fill up to 10 positions. Of these, 25% claim they will look to fill between 6-to-10 positions.

Project management and engineering top the table of 15 most sought after jobs in Qatar and construction ranks as the most attractive industry in terms of career prospects, even above oil and gas (see infographic).

According to the Job Index Survey, Qatar is regarded as one of the most attractive countries in the region to live and work (46%), alongside the UAE (54%) and Saudi Arabia (44%).

In terms of salary packages, Doha is considered to have the most competitive salaries in the region according to 44% of respondents who took part in the Bayt.com ‘Top Cities in the Middle East and North Africa’ survey, July 2013. When asked about job availability in their country of residence, Doha came in the second position at 45% (just after Riyadh at 49%) as the two cities are considered to have the highest possibility of employment.

In terms of employment opportunities, 27% of Qatar respondents state that ‘there are plenty of jobs available across various industries’, and 30% believe that ‘there are plenty of jobs available across few industries’. Six out of 10 (55%) of all Qatar respondents expect there to be an increase in jobs in Qatar in the next 6 months, while 17% expect the situation to remain the same. (The Bayt.com Consumer Confidence Index survey, September 2013)

We address various aspects of Working in Qatar in this series, including finance, laws, HR development. Write to us if there is a particular subject you are interested in and would like to read about.